Study covariates

The following socio-environmental and demographic data were obtained from the 2010 Demographic Census, conducted by the IBGE: population density; average household income; illiteracy rate; literacy rate; subnormal clusters (areas with poor living conditions); proportion of households with no public water supply; proportion of households without waste collection services; proportion of households with an accumulation of garbage in the surrounding environment; and proportion of households exposed to open sewers in the surrounding environment12.

Hotspots were defined as key properties or areas, such as scrap metal and recycling yards, tire repair shops, building material warehouses, gas stations, and cemeteries, that facilitate the proliferation of Aedes aegypti because of the large number of objects that accumulate rainwater and provide potential mosquito breeding grounds. According to the national dengue control and prevention guidelines, hotspots for mosquito proliferation should be identified, registered, and inspected in two-week cycles to perform larval assessment and focal/residual treatment15.

The data on hotspots for mosquito proliferation sites were provided by the city council's epidemiological surveillance department on a spreadsheet containing the description of each property. Of the 1,164 hotspots identified by the city council during the study period, 698 were geocoded and 466 were discarded (313 because of incomplete addresses and 153 because they were duplicated). The geocoded sites were then aggregated by census tract.